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"Little Pussy" Malanga
Gennaro "Little Pussy" Malanga was an associate of the DiMeo crew. At one point in his criminal career he worked with Corrado Soprano Junior's crew until a falling out caused a rift in their relationship. According to Junior, they had made a lot of money on a robbery, but Little Pussy bilked him out of the promised $40,000. In "Pilot", the plan to whack Little Pussy causes Tony problems. Junior plans to assassinate him in Vesuvio Restaurant, which is owned by Tony's childhood friend Artie Bucco. Tony knows that would ruin Artie's business reputation, as no one would want to patronize a place where a Mafia murder occurred. Tony's first course of action is to plead with Junior, not over the hit, but the geographic location. Junior says it must go as planned as Malanga has been eating at Vesuvio his entire life and the only place he does not suspect danger. Junior then snarls at Tony that he is not to backtalk his elders, as "You may run North Jersey but you don't run your Uncle Junior!" Tony's second course of action is to get Artie to suspend business by giving him tickets to a sea cruise, however Charmaine Bucco refuses any gift from Tony, reasoning he likely acquired them with dirty money. Nearing the end of ideas, Tony confers with Herman Rabkin, who recommends arson of Vesuvio and that Artie can rebuild using the insurance money. Due to the same nicknames, Rabkin also mistaking thought that Junior planned to hit Salvatore Bonpensiero, to which Tony corrects Rabkin by saying that there is no way Junior would attack Big Pussy (or as is also put "our Pussy"), lest that result in an automatic mob war, which also shows Bonpensiero's high regard among Tony. Malanga is seen briefly in a news broadcast being escorted in a wheelchair, where the newscaster also remarks his confusion for Bonpensiero. It is officially unknown what became of the hit as it was not shown, although Junior later remarks to Livia Soprano that Vesuvio burned down and Tony was responsible. However it is very likely the hit was successful and took place elsewhere, as Tony mentions later on in 2006 that Little Pussy Malanga has been dead for 6 years. It is not likely and would seem too coincidental that within a year after a failed hit attempt, that Little Pussy would die from natural causes or disease rather than having been murdered by his gangland enemies. Malanga would again be part of another plot turn when Junior's dementia worsened and he accused Tony of being Little Pussy. Tony remarks that Malanga has been dead for six years, and to stop making nonsensical and impossible accusati. In a dementia fueled delusion, Junior shoots Tony in the stomach, believing that he is his long dead enemy Gennaro Malanga, then hides in his closet with a gun until the police arrive and arrest him. This puts Tony into a long-term coma that he takes some time to wake up from. Category:Deceased